Saeed Mohammad Khan

Admiral Saeed Mohammad Khan NI(M) HI(M) SI(M) SBt LoM (1 October 1935 – 4 December 2022), was a Pakistan Navy officer who served as the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of the Pakistan Navy from 9 November 1991 until retiring from his military service on 9 November 1994.[2] After his retirement, he briefly served as the Pakistan Ambassador to the Netherlands, having been appointed by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in the 1990s.[3]

Admiral
Saeed Mohammad Khan
NI(M)  HI(M)  SI(M)  SBt  LoM
Chief of Naval Staff
In office
9 November 1991 – 9 November 1994
Preceded byAdm. Yastur-ul-Haq Malik
Succeeded byAdm. Mansurul Haq
Chairman of National Shipping Corporation
In office
8 November 1988 – 12 March 1990
Pakistan Ambassador to the Netherlands
In office
1994–1998
Prime MinisterBenazir Bhutto
Personal details
Born(1935-10-01)1 October 1935[1]
Bhopal, Bhopal State, British India
(Present-day Bhopal, India)
Died4 December 2022(2022-12-04) (aged 87)
Islamabad, Pakistan
NicknameBeast of the Sea
Military service
Allegiance Pakistan
Branch/service Pakistan Navy
Years of service1954–1994
Rank Admiral
UnitNaval Operations Branch
CommandsVice-Chief of Naval Staff
Commander Pakistan Fleet
Flag Officer Sea Training
Battles/warsIndo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
AwardsNishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Sitara-e-Basalat
Legion of Merit

Biography

Saeed Mohammad Khan was born on 1 October 1935 in Bhopal, British India.[3][4] His family emigrated to Pakistan following the partition of India in 1947, and settled in Karachi, Pakistan.[3]

In 1954, he was commissioned as Midshipman in the Operations Branch of the Pakistan Navy and was sent to the United Kingdom to be trained at HMS Dryad as a navigation specialist.[5] Upon his return in 1958, he was promoted as sub-lieutenant in the Navy and served aboard PNS Tariq in gunnery.: 145 [5] In the 1960s, he was the commanding officer of PNS Tariq and participated in the second war with India in 1965 and then in the third war with India in 1971 as an artillery specialist and earned a nickname "Beast of the Sea" by his superiors.: 149 [5]

Staff appointments and Chief of naval staff

His career in the Navy progressed well and was the Flag Officer Sea Training of Pakistan Navy from 1980–84 as rear-admiral.: 155 [5] In 1984, Vice-Admiral Khan was appointed Commander of Pakistan Fleet (COMPAK) and eventually appointed Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) under Admiral Yastur-ul-Haq Malik, the Chief of Naval Staff.: 416 [6] As VCNS, Vice-Admiral Khan was responsible for the naval warfare exercise and command structure of the Navy.[2] After the death and state funeral of President Zia-ul-Haq, Vice-Admiral Khan supported then-Chief of Army Staff General Mirza Aslam Beg's decision for holding the general elections that saw the electoral victory of Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Peoples Party to form the government.: 235 [7]

Vice-Admiral Khan was later appointed chairman of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) which he led from 11 November 1988 until 13 December 1990.[8]

Vice-Admiral Khan was promoted to four-star rank on 11 August 1991 by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.: 199 [9] However, he was elevated as the Chief of Naval Staff when Admiral Malik left the command to him on 8 November 1991.: 199 [9] It was during his stint as naval chief when the Pressler amendment came in effect that ultimately led to the military embargo on Pakistan and Navy lost eight of his surface ships that were to be returned to the United States in the 1990s.: 476 [10]

However, he successfully negotiated with Royal Navy's First Sea Lord Julian Oswald who helped him close a deal with the British government to sell the fleet of Type 21 frigates to Pakistan.: 476 [10] This eventually resulted in commissioning the Tariq-class destroyers in the 1990s.: 476 [10] In an interview with Times Now an Urdu-language political correspondent, he ultimately warned of Indian Navy's expansion into the blue-water navy in order to establish the "Greater India."[11]

In 1994, Admiral Khan is said to have recommended against acquiring the designs and development of the Agosta 90Bravo-class submarines in coordination with France over the British Upholder-class submarine.[12] His recommendations were bypassed by the government and the Agosta 90B-class submarines were acquired and built in successive long years.[12]

Ambassadorship and retirement

On 9 November 1994, Admiral Khan handed over the command to Admiral Mansurul Haq who was tenuring as the chairman of PNSC who was appointed by the Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.: 330 [13] After retirement from his military service, Admiral Saeed Khan was appointed the Pakistan Ambassador to the Netherlands where he tenured for four years before returning to Pakistan.[2]

Khan died on 4 December 2022, at the age of 87.[14]

Awards and Decorations
Nishan-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Order of Excellence)

 Hilal-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Crescent of Excellence)

 Sitara-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Star of Excellence)

 Sitara-e-Basalat

(Star of Good Conduct)

Tamgha-e-Diffa

(General Service Medal)

1. 1965 War Clasp

2. 1971 War Clasp

 Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War

(War Star 1965)

 Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War

(War Star 1971)

 Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War

(War Medal 1965)

Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War

(War Medal 1971)

 10 Years Service Medal 20 Years Service Medal 30 Years Service Medal
40 Years Service Medal Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-

Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam

(100th Birth Anniversary of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah)

1976

 Tamgha-e-Jamhuria

(Republic Commemoration Medal)

1956

 Hijri Tamgha

(Hijri Medal)

1979

Jamhuriat Tamgha

(Democracy Medal)

1988

 Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha

(Resolution Day

Golden Jubilee Medal)

1990

 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal

(1953)

 The Legion of Merit

(Degree of Officer)

(United States)

Foreign decorations
 UK Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
 USA The Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer)

References
  1. "Excerpts-I". Excerpts-I. 1994. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  2. "پاک بحریہ کے سربراہ۔ ایڈمرل سعید محمد خان". www.pakistanconnections.com/. Pakistaniconnections.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  3. Khan, Shaharyar M. (28 July 2000). The Begums of Bhopal: A History of the Princely State of Bhopal. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9781860645280. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  4. The Army Quarterly and Defence Journal. West of England Press. 1994. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  5. Anwar, Muhammad (2008). Stolen Stripes and Broken Medals: Autobiography of a Senior Naval Officer. London, UK: AuthorHouse. p. 286. ISBN 9781425900205.
  6. Jane's Fighting Ships. Franklin Watts. 1989. ISBN 9780710608864. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  7. Bhattacharya, Brigadier Samir (2014). NOTHING BUT!. Partridge Publishing. ISBN 9781482817324. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  8. "Chairmen History". www.pnsc.com.pk. Pakistan National Shipping Corporation.
  9. Cheema, Pervaiz Iqbal (2002). The Armed Forces of Pakistan. NYU Press. ISBN 9780814716335. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  10. Shah, Mian Zahir (2001). Bubbles of Water: Or, Anecdotes of the Pakistan Navy. Karachi, Pakistan: PN Book Club Publication. p. 487. ISBN 9789698318031. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  11. "Intelligence Digest". Intelligence International Limited. 1 January 1994. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  12. "PPP govt, not Navy, purchased French subs, in a deal". News International. No. 5. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  13. Rizvi, Hasan Askari (2000). The Military & Politics in Pakistan, 1947-1997. Sang-e-Meel Publications. ISBN 9789693511482.
  14. "Ex-Pakistan Navy chief Saeed Khan passes away". BOL News. 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
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